Healy Pass

The Healy Pass climbs to about 334 metres over the Caha Mountains, crossing the spine of the Beara peninsula and the county boundary between Cork and Kerry. Work on it began during the Great Famine of the 1840s as relief employment, was abandoned, and was only completed in 1931 at the urging of Tim Healy, the first Governor-General of the Irish Free State, who came from Bantry and after whom it was named. The road is a sequence of tight hairpins on both sides, with bare rock, scattered boulders and small lakes, and a large white crucifix set against the rock near the summit. The view north from the top runs down to Glanmore Lake and the Kenmare River. It is narrow, unsuitable for large vehicles, and sheep sit on the tarmac around the bends without concern for traffic.

What's there

• The hairpins - tight switchbacks climbing both sides of the pass.
• The crucifix - the white figure set against rock near the summit.
• The northern view - Glanmore Lake and the Kenmare River below.
• The famine origin - relief work begun in the 1840s, finished in 1931.

When to go

April to October. Ice and snow close it in winter. Cloud sits on the top often, and in fog the drive shows you very little.

Practical notes

Narrow with blind hairpins and no barrier in places; not for large vehicles or campers. Sheep lie on the road around bends. Parking at the top is a few spaces that fill on fine days.

Nearby

Adrigole and Castletownbere are south; Lauragh and Kenmare are north.

Key facts